Suction cleaner



May 29, 1951 l.. E. sEGEsMAN SUCTION CLEANER 2 Sheets- Sheetv l Filed Nov. l2, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

Louis E. Seyesman May 29, 1951 l.. E. sEGEsMAN 2,555,252

suc'roN CLEANER Filed Nov. 12, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. L 0 u is El Segesm an BY M s? Man/ 7A ATTORNEY.

Patented May 29, :1951

SUCTION CLEANER Louis E. Segesman, Canton, Ohio,.assignr toThe Hoover Company, rNorth Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 12, 1946, Serial No. 709,275

7 Claims'.` (Cl. l83-.-59)

This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to a newv and improveddevice of this type having incorporated therein anovel filter shaker mechanism.

The present invention employsthe same general type of filter shaker mechanismas my -pending application for Letters Patent Serial No. 599,147, filed on June 13, 1945, now PatentNo. 2,498,098, granted February 2l, 1950, butdiers therefrom in several important respects. Thus, the presenty invention relates to 'a trigger release shaker mechanisml which is primarily designed for manual operation rather than for foot operation. Another basic difference concerns the redesign of one of the cleaner supporting runners in such manner that it functions additionally as a remote control for the shaker.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a novel suction cleaner having a selfcontainer filter shaker mechanism of unique 4design. Another object is to provide a newswtion cleaner construction in which-certain parts thereof have multiple functions. A` further object is to provide a simplied lter shaker which is rugged, economical to construct, simple-in -operation, requires little effort to operate and which is highly eicient. More specically, it is an object of my invention to provide a tank type suction cleaner with a filter mechanism which is adapted to be cocked and released manually from a remote position by means of a specially constructed supporting runner for the cleaner; Still a further Objectis the provision of alter shaker which can be conveniently operated while` the filter is being emptied and withoutV permitting dirt and ne dust to escape into the room.

These and other objects will become apparent upon reading. the following specication and claims and the accompanying drawings showing a Ipreferred embodiment.

Figure l is a side elevational view partially in section of a tank type suction cleaner incorporating the invention.

Figure 2 is a top planview of the shaker mezchanism per se.

Figure 3 is a perspective viewof the cleaner with the end cap removed and Withthe cleaner in anupright position for bag emptying purposes.

My invention hasparticular application to tank typesuction cleaners which may comprise an outer elongated casing IllV havinga readily removableclosure I I at its right handend and a semipermanently attached closurev I2v at its left hand end..v` These closures are, providedV with air ports I3 and HI', respectively, which are adapted to detachably receivesuitable cleaning tools and other devices, as is wellknown in the art. Opening I3 is an vair inlet passage while opening I 4 is an air discharge port.

Removable closure II `is .shown as litting over the end of casingIU in an -airtight manner and may be detachably secured in place by one or more suitable clamping` devices such as toggle clamps I5. A convenient` carrying handle I ismounted along the-upper side of the casing and, as shown, includes an electric control switch I'I for the cleaner.

Suitably mounted within one end of the casing is any preferred typeof motor fan unit I3.

The dirt filtering unit may consist of any desired form of ilexible air pervious material such as fabric bag I 9; The open endV of this bag is secured, as by clampingring 20, to the inturned edge of a lter supporting annulus 2l. A circular spider, not shown, may be mounted in the closed end of the bag and secured thereto as by split clampingring 22. The central portion of a yoke 23 is detachably secured to the central portion of the spider, while its oppositely extending arms 2d are pivotally attached to portions of the lter shaker mechanism Which will be described presently.

Referring now to Figure 2, it will be seen that the shaker mechanism comprises a generally T- Shaped bed-plater25 which may be spotwelde-d or riveted to the under side of casing lil at a point beneath the lter bag. The leg of the T is U- shaped in cross-section and provides a guideway for slide member 2t. Anupturned memberZl on the slide projects through a slot 28 in the upper side of member `25y and forms a retainer for the bail 29 of the shaker mechanism.

Pivotallysupported in the upturned ends of the head of the T` isa flatlink 30 and a U-shaped link` 3l which are pivotally connected at their upper ends to sides 24 of the yoke and in such manner that they move in parallel relation to one another. The. ends of bail 29 are received in openings in the arms of U-shaped link 3l. A pin 32 preferably serves' as the pivot for the U- shaped link 3| and-alsov asfthe supporting means for one or more torsionsprings 335. One endof the torsion springs bears against the bight portion of U-shaped link 3| while the other bears against inturnedv lianges .3d on the T-shaped member and in such manner as to urge the links to rotate 'counterclockwise' as viewed in Figures l and 2. These springs servenormally to maintain the walls `oi' thebag .under tension and, during operations of the shaker, as the driving springs for tensioning the filter walls abruptly to dislodge dirt.

'I'he device for cooking the bag shaker mechanism and for releasing it by a trigger-like action comprises a linkage located in part within the casing and in part without and having a common pivot pin extending through casing l5. Interiorly of the casing an arm 35 is secured to pin 35 as by staking and carries a pawl 31 on its outer end biased to rotate counterclockwise by spring 38. The side of arm 36 serves as a stop for the lower end of the pawl and its opposite end 39 is so disposed as to engage a roller 4U mounted on slide 26 when arm 36 is rotated clockwise. Due to the relative positions of pin 35 and roller 40, it will be clear that, as arm 36 and pawl 31 are carried to the right as viewed in Figure l, roller 4D and slide 26 will also be moved to the right until such time as end 39 of the pawl passes out of engagement with the roller. It will therefore be apparent that rotation of the arm serves to cock torsion springs 33, and nally, in a trigger-like action, to release slide 26 thereby permitting springs 33 to snap the walls of the filter to taut position very abruptly.

In order that the parts just described may be restored to their initial positions without effort on the part of the operator, I have provided a tension spring 4| having one end secured to a xed abutment 42 and its other end connected to the pin serving as a pivot for pawl 31. As this spring rotates the arm counterclockwise, spring 38 allows the pawl to rotate clockwise suf-- iiciently to by-pass roller 40.

Referring now to Figures l and 3, it will be seen that an arm 43, like arm 36, is xedly mounted upon pin 35 so as to rotate therewith but is located exteriorly of casing l5.

The means for rendering the cleaner easily transportable about the room being cleaned comprises a pair of runners mounted upon the under side of the casing. These consist of a runner 44 permanently secured to the under side of the casing and a second runner 45 which is so attached as to be movable longitudinally of the casing. Thus, one end 4S of the runner is bent so as to have a portion lying against the under side of the casing and another portion forming a pivotal connection with the outer end of shaker arm 43. The opposite end 41 of runner 45 is also bent to have a portion lying against the under side of the casing and to be held slidably thereagainst by a guideblock 48. A stirrup 49 straddles end 45 of the runner as shown in Figure 3 and its opposite sides serve as stops for the shaker operating mechanism. That is to say, as viewed in Figure 3, the top side of stirrup 49 limits the counterclockwise movement of arms 43 and 36 while the lower side of the stirrup limits the clockwise movement of these two arms.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Normally the positions of the parts is as depicted in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Normally, torsion spring 33 tends to rotate links 30 and 3| counterclockwise so as to maintain the walls of the filter taut. Likewise, spring 4| retains runner 45 as well as arms 36 and 43 in the positions shown in the drawings. Thus, pawl 31 is located on the left hand side of roller 40 and in position to move slide 26 to the right so as to tension the filter drive springs 33 as soon as runner 45 is moved downwardly.

Assuming that the cleaner has been in operation for a period of time and that the operator desires to shake the filter, the rst step is to upend the cleaner so that runner 45 is not in contact with the floor and so that its upper end 41 is accessible to the operator. The operator then grasps or pushes against end 41 of the runner so as to rotate arm 43. This action carries nose 39 of the pawl against roller 4|] on slide 26 so as to move bail 29 and the links carrying yoke 23 toward closure Il of the cleaner thereby further stressing torsion springs 33 and collapsing the filter bag. As arm 35 continues to rotate, the end of the pawl will ride past roller 4B allowing the torsion spring to snap the yoke 23 to the left thereby quickly and abruptly tensioning the side walls of the lter with the attendant dislodgement of dirt adhering thereto. As soon as the operator removes his hand from the end oi' the runner, tension spring 4I inside the cleaner moves the runner back to its initial position as spring 38 connected to the pawl permits the same to rotate suiciently to bypass roller 4|! on the slide. In this way, the parts are restored to their initial position ready for another similar cycle of operation. The shaker mechanism may be operated as many times as are found necessary to clean the lter thoroughly although a single operation of the mechanism disclosed has been found entirely suiiicient under normal cleaner operating conditions.

The invention is of particular value when emptying the iilter. This is accomplished by loosening clamp I5 and removing closure Il. The cleaner is then up-ended onto its open end with a sheet of paper or a dirt-receiving receptacle therebeneath. While the cleaner is thus held in airtight relation to the dirt-receiving surface, the operator simply presses down on the upper end of runner 45 as often as it found necessary to clean the iilter thoroughly. Since the spring 4| restores the parts to their proper operating position as soon as the operator removes his hand, it is merely necessary ior the operator to press down on the handle formed by the end of the runner and to remove it. As soon as the dust has settled inside the lter, the cleaner is tipped back upon the runners, the end closure is replaced and the cleaner is ready for operation.

It is to be noted that with the novel shaker mechanism herein described, the only opening required in the casing to accommodate the mechanism is that for pivot pin 35. It is a very simple matter to provide an airtight and dirt-tight seal at this point as is manifest.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the specific constructions shown and described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited rby the scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a cylindrical casing having a normally closed end and an open end, a removable end cap for closing said open end, a filter bag closed at one end and having an open end secured to the interior of said casing and in communication with said open end, iilter shaker means connected to the closed end of said iilter including a spring operable to maintain the walls of said lter taut at all times except when said filter is being shaken, means for collapsing said iilter in opposition to said spring from the exterior of said casing comprising a skid member underlying said casing along one side thereof for supporting said one side of the casing above a floor, said skid extending from a point near the open end of said casing to a point near the closed end thereof, means movably connecting said skid member to said casing, and means connecting said skid member to said means for collapsing said filter whereby said lter shaker means can be actuated by up-ending said casing onto said open end and manually moving the end of said skid member remote therefrom to collapse said filter in opposition to said spring.

2. A suction cleaner as dened in claim 1 wherein said lter shaker means includes a normally closed releasable connection, and means for opening said releasable connection when said filter has been collapsed to a predetermined extent by the manual actuation of said skid member whereby said spring snaps the walls of said lter taut abruptly to dislodge dirt therefrom.

3. A suction cleaner as dened in claim 1 wherein said means movably connecting said skid member to said casing is shaped to constrain the movement of said skid to a -plane substantially parallel to the axis of said casing.

4. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 3 wherein said means movably connecting said skid member to said casing is shaped to constrain the movement of said skid member to a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said casing.

5. A suction cleaner as dened in claim 1 including means for normally holding said skid member stationary with respect to said casing except when said skid is being operated to shake said lter.

6. A suction cleaner comprising an elongated cylindrical casing having a discharge end and an inlet end normally closed by a removable end cap, a filter therein having a closed end and an open end secured across said inlet end of said casing, manually operable shaker mechanism for dislodging dirt from said lter when said cleaner is up-ended onto the inlet end thereof includingA spring means connected to the closed end of said filter for maintaining the walls thereof under tension except when said shaker is manually actuated to dislodge dirt from said filter, means for collapsing said lter in opposition to said spring means including an elongated skid member connected thereto and extending along the exterior of lsaid casing to a point adjacent the said discharge end, said casing being normally supported in a horizontal position on said skid, means movably connecting said skid member to said casing, and means for normally holding said skid stationary with respect to said casing.

'7. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 6 wherein said shaker mechanism includes a normally closed releasable connection, and means for opening said releasable connection when said filter has been collapsed to a predetermined position whereby said spring snaps the filter taut abruptly to dislodge dirt therefrom.

LOUIS E. SEGESMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,933,105 v, Forsberg 1 Oct. 31, 1933 2,192,357 Leathers Mar. 5, 1940 2,498,102 White Feb. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 700,388 Germany Mar. 6, 1941 

